An accomplished artistic director and founder of IMPACT DANCE, Hakeem is a choreographer, performer, mentor and British Council ambassador.

Since 1995 Hakeem Onibudo has been an influential force within the international dance community. An accomplished artistic director and founder of IMPACT DANCE, Hakeem is a choreographer, performer, mentor and British Council ambassador. His portfolio includes work for organisations such as the The Royal Ballet School, The Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells, the British Council, the BBC, Nickelodeon, CH4, Endemol, ITV and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Impact Youth has been a foundation of the Impact Dance Company since its inaugural year. From there it has grown to be one of the most successful Street Dance Youth companies of its time. Working with young people aged 11 – 17 to create narrative dance theatre pieces combining a range of different styles including hip-hop, street dance, contemporary movement and physical theatre.

Hakeem is also the creator and host of LIVE VIBE, a performance platform created in 2008, with previous residency at Sadler’s Wells, The Peacock Theatre and Rich Mix. In partnership with the British Council, the concept was taken to Hong Kong in both December 2010 and 2013 as well as being recreated in Zimbabwe in February 2012. In April 2017 an edition of LIVE VIBE took place in Caracas, Venezuela and on 2 December 2017 it was staged in London at The Place (The Contemporary Dance Trust).

Hakeem recently received the CHANGEMAKERS award from Arts Council England, which allows him to lead on a number of projects at The Place which aim to increase the number of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people who engage with the organisation. To date at The Place, Hakeem has produced Tuned-In sessions for young dancers and musicians to engage with each other, as well as a further LIVE VIBE London coming this summer.

Beyond his work in the dance community, Hakeem is an experienced and professional event host who regularly presents and entertains on high profile London events including red carpet film premieres. His clients include Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney and Warner Brothers.